


Low Spirits

by Catastra_Fey



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern with Magic, Grief/Mourning, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Medium Kuroo, Modern Fantasy, Oh My God I'm Sorry About All The Tropes, Prior loss of a pet, So many tropes, Spirit/Ghost, Swearing, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, mild nudity, they are both very soft
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-12
Updated: 2020-05-12
Packaged: 2021-03-03 01:00:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 12,999
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24146290
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Catastra_Fey/pseuds/Catastra_Fey
Summary: Agent Kuroo works for the Spirit Removal Department, however he is well known for caring too much about the spirits and not enough about results. Despite his tensions at work, his newest assignment offers up a few challenges he is unprepared for. Spirits he can handle. Sawamura Daichi, however, is another story...
Relationships: Kuroo Tetsurou/Sawamura Daichi
Comments: 18
Kudos: 90





	Low Spirits

Kuroo jumped as Sargeant Nekomata slammed down another brown file folder on his desk. His face reddened under the expectant stare of his boss and he grabbed the file and flipped it open. He was balancing five other ongoing cases right now, something that had drawn the ire of his superior. It's what this current stare down was about and he knew it.

“All right Kuroo, I've got a new case for you. Should be a clean one. Please make it a clean one. In and out, just get the damn thing out of there. Don't get emotional about it, okay.” As he walked away, Kuroo felt his face heat even more, hating that he was known well as the 'soft agent.' He looked up and caught the other two smirking at him, raising his middle finger toward Yaku and receiving the gesture in kind. 

It wasn't that the Spirit Removal Department was particularly heartless. Mostly, the spirits they extracted were able to be rehomed. There were always places that needed the warm touch of a benevolent phantom. Even the neutral spirits could often be relocated to old vacant areas and shelters that were rarely utilized. Occasionally a wizard or mage would even purchase one of the aggressive spirits for rehabilitation, though it was rare. 

But where Kuroo struggled was with the knowledge that his training had given him. Yes, he had been a medium all his life. It was an uncommon enough gift, and a prerequisite for a number of jobs, the most legitimate of which was working for the government in this agency. It was also the most boring and least rewarding. 

The first thing he learned during the initial training, understanding the spirits and their motivations, was that a happy spirit was a healthy spirit. And a specter that was comfortable and had many strong connections to their environment was the healthiest they could be. An ideal case was brought to close by working with the person who requested the removal and teaching them to live in harmony with the spirit. It was what was best for all involved parties, and they, as agents of the SRD, were to strive for that resolution whenever possible.

But like so many industries, the ideal outcome was not something that got priority over meeting metrics and closing cases. Three years as an SRD agent had taught Kuroo that what the agency really wanted were quick and clean removals that made people happy, especially the non-magicals. So, unless it was extremely obvious that a person wanted to learn to live with their spirit, removal and relocation were the goals. 

In his ever so small act of rebellion, Kuroo dropped hints about learning to live with the spirits all the time during the house calls. Most people still didn't grab on, but he ended up with more counseling cases than anyone else as he tried to work them through whatever the issue was. It was harder work, it took much longer, it cost the clients more...but it was these victories which held Kuroo together at the end of the day. 

A small, soft body stirred next to him, standing up and leaning into his shoulder as she also surveyed the file. Her fur tickled his nose, but he scratched underneath the little black cat's chin none-the-less, eliciting a rumbling purr. 

“What do you think, Soba? Will this be an easy one?” She moved the paper aside, scanning the notes on the second page, her ears flicking as her tail whipped against the polished wood of the desk. He got the vague feeling from her of skepticism.

Familiars were an interesting thing. Not a pet, not a friend, something in between. Like a small extension of himself, but with an independent streak. Not all magical folk ended up with them, but all mediums did. They found their way to you somehow, from some unknown realm, taking on the appearance of an animal, usually small. There was a strong connection, and the person could see through their eyes if they willed it. They couldn't talk but their thoughts would leave a vague impression in the mind, enough to convey an emotion or general feeling. They were essential for his job as they could see details about the spirits that the human eye was not capable of. So when he was at work, Soba was as much his partner as anyone could be. 

And right now, she was giving him the clearest indication of a sigh as he had ever felt, her golden eyes turning back toward him expectantly.

“Sawamura, Daichi huh? Lived in an old house for the last five years and is a...librarian? Non-magical...sounds riveting. The guy is probably 70 years old and still refers to us as 'witches.'”

Soba let out a little mewl, flicking her tail against his cheek. He stood from his desk, shrugging on his government issued blazer with the white SRD symbol emblazoned on the back. He pinned on his badge and clasped the tool belt around his hips, barely moving when Soba jumped up on his shoulder.

“Try not to get attached this time, Tetsurou,” Yaku said with an unimpressed neutral face. Kuroo smiled brightly at him, raising his middle finger again as he whisked out of the office. He loaded up one of the small cargo vans with the equipment, in case he was able to do an extraction on the spot, and headed out, Soba sitting sagely in the passenger seat on top of the file. 

The cute little house was only about fifteen minutes from the station, set back among other tidy little homes on a quiet street. The porch was covered with a two person swing and several hanging plants, a bamboo wind chime making that lovely low rattle as he stepped out of the vehicle. Soba trotted along on the ground next to him, her keen senses already flexing into his mind. If the spirit was awake, she would find it. As he ascended the wooden steps, the floorboards creaked beneath him and he said a silent prayer to the gods that this spirit would be mostly untethered. He promised himself that if there were less than four, no okay, five strands, that he would just extract and move on. He knocked gently at the door.

He heard the sound of someone move across old wooden floors and approach the door, a shadow falling over the small curtained window. The old wooden door creaked open and a jolt of surprise hit him. The face that peeked through was the handsome face of a young man, probably around his age, warm brown eyes taking him in. The door opened further and revealed the rest of him, shorter than Kuroo by several inches, but much broader, with shoulders that nearly made him swoon. The guy wore a t-shirt that was tight enough to show off his fit frame, an expanse of chest that had Kuroo's heart flutter for a moment. Shaking himself out of it, he moved the edge of the blazer aside to show his badge.

“Uh, A-agent Kuroo with the Spirit Removal Department. I'm looking for a Mr. Sawamura?” The guy's eyes flicked over him and then a kind smile parted his glowing face, almost bashful, and he extended a hand. Kuroo didn't fail to notice his ample bicep. 

“Ah sorry, It's been a hell of a week. I'm Sawamura Daichi, thank you so much for coming out so quickly. Please, come in.” He took Sawamura's hand, giving it a brisk shake, the man's grip sure and strong as he turned and invited him in. Soba darted past them and Sawamura watched her zip off through his living room. Kuroo took a deep breath and focused his second sight before even taking in the surroundings. His heart dropped. 

Spirits connected to things in order to stay grounded. It used to be thought that they could be coaxed into 'passing on,' leaving their earthly tethers and ascending to the afterlife. But as the paranormal sciences did more research, it was found that spirits were naturally occurring, temporal beings, with a lifespan much like any creature. Some hung around for hundreds of years while others for only a handful. You never knew what you were getting. Their life expectancy wasn't even an indicator of how firmly entrenched they became in a person, place, or thing. Spirits would create the ethereal 'strands' to connect them to anything they deemed important and these threads of ghostly energy had to be cut in order to remove them. It was a rough process for the spirit, regardless of how careful the medium was who did it, so the fewer strands, the more easy it was to draw the poor thing out.

Sawamura's little house looked like a spiderweb. The strands flowed everywhere, to items, into the walls, floors, and ceilings, and several into Sawamura himself. It was honestly one of the most firmly attached spirits he had ever seen. An extraction like this would take days to be done safely, and even under the best of circumstances, could damage the spirit's temperament permanently. If it wasn't already and slipped into an A category spirit, an aggressive, it was likely to be expunged. The thought made him feel sick.

“I'll uh, get you some tea...” Sawamura said, turning away, and Kuroo realized he had been staring dumbstruck for a bit too long. He let the second sight fade, noting the homey appearance of the room. The walls were lined with bookshelves, packed solid with books. What little wall space remained was taken up by old vintage looking photos in intricate aged frames. The furniture was sparse and neat, looking mish-mashed, like he had bought it at a garage sale, but well cared for. The place smelled like old books and sandalwood and he had to admit, there was an immediate homeness to it that caught him off-guard. 

Sawamura came back in with a small tea set on a tray and placed it on the little wooden coffee table, pouring a cup for each of them. It was beyond charming. His feet were bare and Kuroo realized a little too late that he'd never taken his shoes off, so he turned to the front door to slip them off and to the side. 

“So tell me what happened? It's obvious your spirit has been here for awhile and you've lived here for about five years according to your report? Why are you just calling us now?” There was a flash in Kuroo's sight as he saw through Soba's eyes, a dangling string from an attic access in the hallway. “You have an attic drop down, correct?”

“Uh, yeah, follow me.” He turned and led Kuroo toward a hallway off the living room, and try as he might, he could not keep his eyes from wandering over Sawamura's form. Even In his t-shirt and sweatpants, the guy was so well put together, it was impossible not to notice. Kuroo shook his head. He needed to get it together, he was on a job for gods sakes! As they came around the corner they saw Soba sitting in the middle of the floor, looking up at the access. Sawamura pulled the chord and the ladder unfolded gently down. 

“It all got bad about a week ago. Honestly, I've liked having the spirit around. It made things less lonely, warmer, more fun. Yeah things would go missing sometimes or it would leave the occasional mess, but just as often it would leave gifts or little messages or I would just feel a...well a joyfulness flow through the room.” Kuroo nodded as Sawamura spoke, moved by his view of the spirit. Most non-magical folks were unsettled by them, no matter how benevolent, and never sought to understand them or live in harmony with them. This guy was like a breath of fresh air. 

He lifted Soba up near the top of the ladder and she darted up the rest of the way into the attic, leaving them alone again. He walked Sawamura back into the living room, hand on his shoulder, and the warmth that radiated from him was beyond pleasant. Kuroo sat down in the little round chair as Sawamura took a seat on the gray loveseat, lifting one of the cups of tea. His silence saturated the space and soon Kuroo realized that he was avoiding telling him something. His shoulders had hunched somewhat and he stared down at the small cup cradled in his hands as his brows knit together.

“Well, I...I had a dog. She lived with me this whole time. I think she and the spirit would play sometimes and it was charming and wonderful. But last week she...” his voice tightened, and Kuroo's heart clenched as Sawamura cleared his throat. “She, passed away.” 

Oh. This was something they had been specifically trained on, though Kuroo had never dealt with it personally before. Death of a pet or family member that a spirit was attached to caused strands to sever violently, which impacted a spirit badly. Additionally, the emotional stress on the other people who the spirit connected with would resonate through those strands. It was a traumatic thing for a spirit to go through who didn't understand what was happening. Sawamura sniffed, clearing his throat again, Kuroo looked at him with the utmost concern, for once not having to fake his empathy toward the human part of this equation.

“Sorry. It's still pretty fresh. I had Tako for nine years and my life is...” he drew a hand across his face, “emptier. Now.” A tear slipped from beneath his fingers and almost without thinking, Kuroo reached out to place a hand on his arm. 

“Hey, hey, it's okay. I'd be more concerned if you weren't upset about something like that. You named your dog Tako? That's pretty funny.” He laughed, low and easy and Sawamura peeked at him from the fingers laced over his face. When he dropped them, he wore a sad smile, his cheeks a little red, and he grabbed a kleenex to blow his nose.

“Haha, yeah, weird, I know. But when she was just a puppy and I was trying to decide on a name, she ate an entire plate of takoyaki. I thought she was going to die! I rushed her to the vet, but they said she was fine, just terribly full. They had me feed her ice cubes all night and she never even threw up! It seemed obvious that her name had to be Takoyaki, which inevitably got shortened to Tako. I swear, that dog held me together most days.” 

He opened his mouth to reply, but his vision flashed then to Soba's. He could see the bright strands coming together, twining around a small globe that seemed to glow faintly in the darkness of the attic. It was dim, an indication that it was sleeping, though it's light was consistent and edges clear. All signs of a healthy phantom. Regardless, they'd make no headway today, not until it woke. The image faded and Sawamura was staring at him with a somewhat surprised look. He was used to that too.

“Uh, yeah, sorry about the eye thing. It's just my familiar showing me what she's seeing. And her name is Soba, so I'm not one to judge.” When a medium looked through the eyes of their familiar, their own eyes would shift to more closely resemble that of the animal's. Kuroo had been told that his pupils thinned to a cat's eye when it happened, which was disturbing to some non-magicals. 

“Oh, that's okay. I'd just never seen that before. I've never known anyone with a familiar. Soba, you said? Like the noodle?” Kuroo laughed a bit in response, his lips curling into a soothing smile.

“Yep, like the noodle. So, listen, I think I know what your problem is. I'm guessing that when your dog passed, suddenly the spirit became restless and violent?”

“Yeah. I'd come home and my books would be flung from the shelves, sometimes pages torn from them. All the kitchen cabinets would be open, with the contents strewn about. It even flipped my bed upside down! Twice! Once while I was in it!” Kuroo tried to suppress a laugh, but the visual was too adorable and Sawamura sighed, looking a bit forlorn. 

“I just, I can't handle it. I don't really have the money to afford this, but I don't know how to make it happy. It probably wants Tako back, but so do I, damnit. I can't handle the grief and these temper tantrums. If we can't live together peacefully, I need for the spirit to go.” He looked so defeated, like a man who had reached the end of his emotional rope, and Kuroo studied his face. He knew he was supposed to just remove it. But if the process of extraction would take days anyway, wouldn't it be foolish to not even offer a better solution? This man clearly shouldn't lose anything else. 

“So, yeah, your spirit was attached to that dog. When she died, it hurt the spirit in some of the same way it hurt you, Sawamura. Except that the spirit doesn't understand why. All it knows is that something it loved suddenly disappeared. It's frantically searching for it and probably also punishing you, because it believes that you took it away. But you've lived well with the spirit for so long. This is just a wound, for you both. I can extract it. It will be a lengthy process. Or, there is another option.” Sawamura looked up, some hope flickering in his soft brown eyes, rimmed in red from his sorrow. 

“What's the other option?” Ah, perfect. Excuse enough for him to present it.  
“I can work with both of you, a kind of spiritual counseling, and work to mend this misunderstanding. Spirits can recover from this. Just like people.” He smiled his best reassuring smile, his hands clasped close to Sawamura's as they both sat hunched over. Sawamura sighed and closed his eyes, the muscles of his jaw tightening.

“H-how much more will it cost for that? I'm just a librarian. I don't really have much money. This house is everything I have.”

“So, normally, yeah it's more expensive for the counseling service. But honestly, I so rarely see non-magicals willing to make amends with spirits and I can tell that yours was very happy here. It would be extremely hard and hard on it to remove it. So, I'll make you a deal. Choose the counseling option and I'll just bill you for an extraction. I'll mark it as failed so that they won't blink at the lack of a spirit I bring in, and your fee will be even less than if I actually did manage to get it out of here. You'll just have to put up with me coming back a couple times. Sound okay?” Sawamura looked at him with confusion, his hands clenching and unclenching between his knees.

“Why would you do that for me?” 

“Because I hate severing spirits from places and people they love. And I think you've had enough loss for one week.” Sawamura blinked at him and Kuroo looked away. He didn't say that it was also in part because he was beautiful. He didn't say that it was also because he wanted very much to come back. 

“Well I'd be an idiot to say no to that. So yes. Please. Please help me. Please help my spirit to be happy again.” An excitement surged through Kuroo and he stood, beckoning Soba back to him. He felt her move through the attic and back down the ladder, running to sit next him, her tail curling around his ankle.

“Great. Thank you. I'll need to do some cleanup. Do you have family or friends you could stay with for a couple nights?” 

“W-what? Why would I...?”

“Spirits are most active at night, so much of my work will be overnight. I'll need to stay here, in your house, if you don't mind,” he felt his face burn just a bit at that, but pushed out more words to cover his awkwardness, “and it can get a bit loud and active. You might not get the best sleep if you stay here.” He thought he saw Sawamura's face a redden just a bit as well, his hand straying to the back of his neck as he looked away from Kuroo.

“Oh, uh, shoot I really don't. That sounds really sad, I know, but my boyfriend and I broke up a few weeks back and all of our friends were mutual and now they don't really like me anymore...Is it a problem if I do stay here?” 

Boyfriend. Kuroo swallowed around the excited lump in his throat. And hell, he should definitely not be thinking about that right now, but damn if it wasn't the single most important piece of information that had been tossed to him all day. It took him an extra second to process the rest of what Sawamura had said and he covered his momentary panic with a cough.

“Uh, no, no, it's fine. You just might be a bit sleep deprived by the end of it. Man, you've had a hellish month Mr. Sawamura.” He chuckled and passed Kuroo a small smile in response.

“Yeah, it's been garbage. You're a real breath of fresh air, agent Kuroo. My couch is a pullout, so I'll make it up for you. My house is your house.” 

Kuroo slipped a card out of his billfold, setting it on the coffee table as he adjusted his blazer.  
“Okay, I'll be back tonight around 8 then. I'll try not to be intrusive, but you've been warned. Still, I have a good feeling about this. Call me if you need anything before then and try to keep a low profile while you're in the house. Sudden emotional bursts, especially violent ones, can rattle even a sleeping spirit. I don't want you getting hurt.” 

“Yes, sir.” Sawamura looked up at him from under his eyelashes and it made his heart stutter erratically. It wasn't weird, he was an agent, people called him sir all the time. But this guy, calling him sir, looking at him like that, it had shivers running through him like he'd walked through a wily spirit. He gave what definitely felt like an awkward smile in return and slipped his shoes back on at the door. Soba stared pointedly at Sawamura while he watched Kuroo nearly trip over his own feet and wave a weird goodbye before heading out the door. The little cat barely made it through before it shut. She shot him a wave of irritation what was definitely warranted. 

“Ugh, Nekomata's gonna kill me if he finds out, but you'll back me up, right? My little fluffernoodle?” The cat glared at him in disgust, but still accepted the head scratches. His mood had improved immensely. He hoped he could settle things with the spirit quickly for Sawamura. Just maybe not too quickly.

***

Daichi shut the door, leaning his back against it as he chewed on his bottom lip. Damn, this was certainly inconvenient. When he'd contacted the SRD, the man he'd spoken to had been gruff and older, someone he felt certain he could keep his shit together around. So how in the hell had a gorgeous lanky guy with what really felt like genuine compassion, showed up at his door? 

He ran a hand over his face in exasperation, looking over his little living room. Yeah, a guy who I BLATANTLY FLIRTED WITH who's coming back to SPEND THE NIGHT in my fucking house! Gods, he was insufferable! That guy was just trying to do his job, it was his job to care about the spirits and the people involved with them, it was not his fault that he was the literal definition of tall, dark, and handsome and that his wild hair either took hours to do or was magically like that when he rolled out of bed. He'd been a little odd, but maybe that was just how mediums were, he'd never met one before. It had to be jarring to be seeing more of the world than most people did.

His mind was racing a mile minute as his eyes darted around the room. He walked over through the little archway to the hall, where the attic stood open still. He looked up at it sadly. 

“You know, I'm sad too. I'm doing the best I can here.” His words were gentle as he folded the ladder back up and lifted the door to close off the scuttle. 

The house was so chillingly quiet now. Even when Tako had been sleeping, there was always the sound of life, huffed little breaths, the scratch of a claw along the hardwood floor. The silence was choking without her. 

He'd cried so much in the last week, more than he had ever in his whole life. She'd started to get sick back when his boyfriend had left and he had been angry and hurt, but no tears had come of that. But huddled around her in his bed as she slept and shook toward the end had wrung him of every excess drop of water in his system. And the week of her passing had left him so empty that he had called into work three days in a row and barely had the energy to go on the fourth. 

His little spirit had made things all the harder. What was once a comforting presence, filled with joy and whimsy, had turned angry and frustrated. Each time it acted out, making a mess of the place or pushing him, he either reacted with anger, yelling at it, which he was not at all proud of, or crumpling into a mound of desperate sobs and laying on the floor for so long his feet started to feel numb. He didn't know to soothe it or himself. He knew the pain would fade, but trying to handle his angry spirit gently while trapped in the grip of his grief was trying to move a mountain with a shovel. 

He'd even cried in front the handsome agent, just from bringing it up. How sad and pathetic he must have seemed. But he'd looked at him with such kind eyes, like he did understand and like he didn't judge him. His strange golden eyes, that would shift suddenly to cat eyes as they lost focus. He remembered how it had felt when he'd placed a reassuring hand on Daichi's shoulder and arm, realized that it was the first time someone had touched him in weeks. Gods, he was lonely. 

He set to work cleaning, more deeply this time since the guy would be staying at his house. He made sure the bathroom was spotless, even included a scented candle on the vanity. He made a grocery list, ashamed to have someone discover how hard he had fallen back into some bad food habits in his depression. Agent Kuroo had said that it might take a couple nights, and surely he wouldn't complain if Daichi made him some food? He was a good cook, just only when he had someone else to cook for. Left to his own devices, he was just as likely to eat tuna right out of a can. 

When he got home, he got out a spare set of sheets, double checking them for stains or holes. He had a nice soft gray set that fit over the pullout bed, swapping out the pillows shoved in his closet for the nicer ones that he normally used. New pillowcases and one of his nicest comforters went down and he stood back to survey the room. It was a small living room, but it still made for a decent makeshift bedroom if he configured things right. 

All the lights in the house popped and went off, a crash issuing from his office. He pulled out his phone and flipped on the flashlight. While it wasn't fully dark, it was late enough that no lights made things difficult to see. Opening the door to the tiny room, he saw that his desk chair had been flipped over and the short filing cabinet now lay on its side. He sighed heavily.

“Well, thanks for waiting until I was done setting up, anyway. Please, please don't break my computer.” He righted the chair and the file cabinet, just to feel a cold chill brush against him, making him tense. It didn't shove him this time, just left a forlorn feeling tingling across his skin. He heard a knocking sound from the living room and brushed a hand back through his hair in exasperation. 

He shined his light around, but didn't see anything out of place. He nearly jumped out of his skin when the knock came again, louder, and from the...the door. He looked at his phone. 7:56 p.m. He rushed to unlock and open the door, nearly blinding the agent with his phone flashlight as he shined it over him. The guy flinched and held up a hand, but damn if he wasn't just as dashing as Daichi remembered. 

“Ah shit, sorry. It zapped all the lights before causing mischief, so I was stumbling around with this. Come in, come in.” He felt the little cat brush past him, rushing through the room and disappearing into the shadows. Agent Kuroo stepped in, but he scanned the room just as he had when he had first entered it that morning, following paths of things that were beyond Daichi's perception. He slipped his shoes off and set a briefcase down on the pullout bed. 

“Sorry I didn't get here sooner. I didn't think it would be up so early. Does it always start happening around this time? I should have asked earlier.” Daichi switched off the flashlight, trying to let their eyes adjust. 

“Uh, I guess. It usually gets feisty around dusk and then mostly calms down until late in the night.” He was digging in the briefcase and there was a loud click. A soft purple light illuminated the room, given off by a small lantern with beveled glass. Kuroo smiled, looking quite proud of himself, and Daichi smirked at him with an eyebrow raised.

“This light is good for spirits! When they are stressed, bright light can set them off, but this hardly registers to them. We, however, can see our surroundings much better now!” He gestured around the room, as if he was showing it off, and Daichi snickered. 

“Man, you're just loving having someone who doesn't know anything about this stuff, aren't you?” 

“I don't know what you're talking about, I'm simply informing you of my actions, per regulations.” His tone was light and sarcastic and the wink he passed Daichi at the end made his chest flutter just a little. Was this guy...did he mean to come across so flirtatious? He obviously knew that Daichi was gay after their conversation from this morning and he had definitely accidentally played his flirt game hard toward the end of the visit. He hadn't meant to, truly, the guy was just so handsome and had handled him so well in a vulnerable moment. It had been stupid, but it had happened. 

It was still stupid. This guy was here on a job. He was probably just being nice, trying to settle Daichi's nerves. His hopes were making him read too much into. He opened his mouth to say something, but watched Kuroo's gaze slip to something over his shoulder. He waved Daichi over quickly and took the few steps over to him, turning back toward the entrance to the kitchen. There, he could see the cat, looking into the darkness, and a quick glance at Kuroo's eyes told him that he was seeing through the familiar now. A warm hand settled on his shoulder and he leaned into it just a bit.

“I can see our phantom. It's in the kitchen, rifling through one of your cupboards. It's not aggressive, but the aura is volatile. The best thing you can do for me,” Daichi felt his hand slip down to the small of his back and suppressed a shiver at the intimate touch. It was guiding, but he still thrilled from it a bit more than he really should. “Is to sit right here on the bed and don't move. I'm going to try to talk to it, but since you might be a trigger, the less intrusive your presence, the better.” He sat down as instructed and Kuroo pulled out a small metal box from his tool belt. With a click it began emitting a soft static sound, like white noise, and the lanky agent eased into the kitchen. Daichi could hear his soft voice above the noise, but not well enough to make out the words. 

He squinted through the dark, the purple light illuminating nothing in the room beyond. Suddenly he heard the cat hiss and a crash, Kuroo letting out a yell as the sound of pots and pans clattering to the floor filled the little house. Daichi lurched up off the bed, rushing toward the dark kitchen without hesitation.

“Kuroo! Are you okay?” He groped around, finding a mass of soft hair leaned against the far cabinets and Kuroo let out a groan. With a blinding intensity, the lights flared back to life, casting them in the harsh glow of the fluorescent kitchen bulb. Kuroo was trying to stand from his crumpled position, but there was blood dripping down his face from under those perilous bangs and Daichi grabbed a dishtowel to press against his brow.

“It's okay, it's okay, I just got caught by a flying saucepan, I think.” He chuckled good-naturedly, but red dotted his white button up and Daichi placed Kuroo's hand over the rag, leading him to the small bathroom. 

“Do you feel faint? I'll take you to the hospital if you want. You're bleeding quite a bit.” He sat Kuroo down on the edge of his small bathtub. It was sort of strange. If anything the guy looked sort of...embarrassed? His eyebrows were drawn, his mouth tight, and he didn't make eye contact with Daichi. 

“No, no, I'm fine, I just pushed a little too hard in the beginning. It was my fault. Shit, here's another damn dry-cleaning bill.” He began popping open the buttons of his shirt one-handed and Daichi turned away, pulling out his bandages and ointment. He'd never really thought about how very small his bathroom was until this moment, as his knee bumped against Kuroo's and he realized he was basically standing between Kuroo's ridiculously long outstretched legs.

He was shrugging out of his white work shirt, revealing a black tank top beneath, and Daichi felt his face heat as he watched him. The guy was lean, but damn, he was also fit, sure lines of chest muscles and biceps clearly visible beneath pale skin dotted with a smattering of freckles. 

“Uh, here,” Daichi said, awkwardly taking hold of the compress so that Kuroo could disentangle himself entirely. Daichi bit the inside of his cheek to keep from staring. When Kuroo's deep golden eyes finally lifted to his, his face seemed to flush just a bit, a moment of realization at their proximity breaking over him. Daichi slowly moved the cloth away, and no new blood dripped down, so he wet it in the sink and gently brushed Kuroo's bangs aside to see the gash that had split over his eyebrow. He ran the cloth lightly over the wound, cleaning away some of the blood and making Kuroo hiss.

“What's the damage, doc?” 

He tilted Kuroo's head even further back, hardly thinking about it as he cleaned around the wound. 

“I'm so sorry it did this to you. It's not too deep and it's stopped bleeding. I can bandage you up, but if you feel weird at all, just say and I'll take you to the hospital.” He dabbed some of the antibiotic gel onto it, noticing Kuroo's eyelids flutter as he did. It took three little butterfly bandages, placed with the greatest of care, to get the thing closed well. As he pulled back, he saw that Kuroo's cheeks were dusky red, and eyes that had been looking at him, though not necessarily at his face, he noted, jerked to the floor. 

“Well,” he drew out, his lips curving into a devilish smile that was doing unasked for things to Daichi's pulse, “it really was my fault. And besides, it's not like I get to be patched up by a handsome stranger every day.” He snuck a glance at Daichi. Whatever had manifested on his face, likely shock at the forward flirtation, made Kuroo grit his teeth and stand up quickly, laughing uncomfortably. 

“Ah, shit, sorry. Can I blame that breach of professionalism on the head injury? Sorry, so sorry...” He trailed off as he maneuvered around Daichi, suddenly seeming like all elbows and knees as he launched toward the door. The awkward tangle of limbs that whisked around him and out the door left him standing there in surprise, and honestly, delight. He'd...he'd flirted, very confidently and smoothly, and then immediately crumbled into a flustered school boy. A small smile curved at Daichi's lips. He really enjoyed that moment of suave intention, but the fluster, oh man, could that ever be fun. He wasn't imagining it. This guy, at the very least, found him attractive. And while their professional relationship ended once things with the spirit were squared away, maybe, if Daichi played his cards right, their contact didn't have to. 

He rinsed out the towel and Kuroo's shirt, washing his hands thoroughly afterward before leaving the bathroom, trying and failing to dismiss the little smile that tugged at the corners of his mouth.

***

As the bathroom door shut behind him, Kuroo grimaced. What was he doing? That had been top notch stupid. One complaint of sexual harassment from a client would go on his record and he really didn't need for Nekomata to have any more reasons to fire him. He'd just...gah, Sawamura was so cute, that worried expression, the way his mouth puckered just a bit as he placed the bandages...

Kuroo's head was still spinning, but he honestly didn't know if it was from the injury or just from the ridiculous tension between the two of them making his blood pressure spike. He sighed deeply and started switching off lights. This warring within him of exhilaration versus warning needed to cool it. He had a damn job to do. Soba flitted by him, back into the hallway and he moved quickly to grab another low spectrum lamp and the untethering shears. 

Soba was pawing at a closed door. He eased it open and switched over to her vision, the darkness retreating in her superior night vision. He could see the spirit underneath the large bed, hovering and crackling with agitated static. His miscalculation in the kitchen had cost him, but the dangling disconnected threads were a problem, like a wound trying to heal without stitches. He set the lantern down and got down on his hands and knees, pulling his second sight forward. 

He could see them, frayed and red at the ends. He'd hoped they had been disconnected long enough to simply fall out, but that hadn't been the case, and when he'd pulled at one earlier, it was what had caused the outburst. He ran a hand gently over it and the static increased, frisson tingling through him as the phantom felt his contact.

“Shhh, I know buddy. This is gonna be a little unpleasant, but it's going to make things a lot better. Just don't go full poltergeist on me...” He pulled the two threads together and brought the shears around them easily. Soba started purring loudly, a tactic to mellow the spirit. The two blades snapped together, causing the strands to shatter. A flood of relief washed through him, both his and Soba's, knowing this was the most difficult part and now the spirit would be able to emotionally heal properly. However, that relief was short lived. 

A burst of angry energy with a sharp wind blew over them and the door slammed shut behind them. The entire house creaked and groaned and he heard Sawamura let out a cry from the next room. The bed jumped, crashed against the floor once, and then upended, smashing a lamp and the bedside table. The drawers of the dresser slammed open and clothes flew out of them while more books exploded off of the lone bookshelf. Kuroo grabbed Soba and curled over her, protecting her with his body and as he crouched as low to the floor as he could get, hands over his head and neck.

As the quiet settled back around them, he heard heavy footfalls and the door was thrown open. The overhead light flicked on and Sawamura gasped as he looked around at the destruction. 

“Agent Kuroo! Oh my gods, are you okay? It's never been this violent before!” A strong arm helped him up, one of Sawamura's big hands on his shoulder. He looked around, grimacing at the damage. It looked like a tornado had hit. He'd seen worse, but he felt really guilty seeing Sawamura's life strewn across the small room. The bed frame had cracked down the middle, leaving splinters and shards of wood everywhere. Additionally, the mattress had torn to shreds, downy feathers blanketing the room like snow. Shattered glass was all over one side of the room and books lay within the storm of laundry as drawers hung out of the dresser haphazardly. 

“Fuck. So sorry. I didn't know it would respond so...forcefully. Do you have a geist package on your insurance?” He looked over at Sawamura who was chewing his lip as he surveyed the wreckage.

“Yeah. I'll call them tomorrow. We should get out of here before we step on something. What happened?” They backed out of the room and Kuroo shut the door, brushing down feathers off of his shirt and pants. How best to explain it? 

“Good news is that I was able to remove a part of it that was hurting it. It should heal more easily now. It's kind of like pulling out a splinter? It causes some pain to the spirit, but now it will quickly move on from what ailed it. It will be confused for awhile and it's still going to pick up on your sadness, but it shouldn't take long to have it back to normal.” They came to a stop before the small pullout bed, barely as wide as a double, and Kuroo had a realization that made his stomach do a flip. He looked over to Sawamura who was also staring down at the bed with an equally bewildered expression. He should just leave. It wasn't the best idea, as Soba would be able to further comfort the spirit and keep it from lashing out Sawamura post-injury, but things had just become...

“Ah, well, this is awkward,” Sawamura said. A blush had crept over his cheeks. 

“It's fine! I'll just stay up. You probably have work tomorrow. I could leave, but my familiar will help calm your spirit and I don't want to risk you getting hurt.”

“Don't you also have work tomorrow?” The question made Kuroo chew his bottom lip. He did. And it would be very noticeable if he didn't sleep. But he really couldn't ask- “Listen, we're both adults, you're here doing a job, we can not make things weird. I'll go grab another blanket. It'll be like...camping or something.” The last words were muffled as Sawamura went to the hallway and opened a little door to a linen closet, pulling down another blanket. 

Kuroo was stuck stock still, staring at him, the only noise in the house was the old wood floor creaking under his weight. As he reached up to grab at a pillow, his t-shirt lifted above the waistline of his pants, revealing the tan skin of his hip and back. Kuroo's mouth went dry. This was fine. It would be fine. They were adults. With two separate blankets, they would probably never even touch.

They took turns brushing their teeth and dressing for bed, Kuroo's panic continuing to rise as Daichi simply removed his sweatpants and slipped onto the thin mattress in just his t-shirt and boxers. It had been well over a year since Kuroo had shared a bed with anyone, and this man he'd met less than 24 hours ago that he was terribly attracted to was either the best or worst (maybe both) way to break that cycle. He donned his pajama pants and a pair of socks, keeping his tank top on. He noticed in the bathroom that Sawamura had treated the stains on his shirt and hung it to dry. This fucking guy. 

Soba had retreated to the attic again, likely balled up wherever the spirit was to purr sweetly at it. It made him feel groggy and pleasant, an echo of her comfort welling up in him as well. He tried not to look at Sawamura as he made his way to his side of the small bed, but a little chuckle drew his attention.

“You wear socks to bed? How do you stand it?”

“You'll thank me if you happen to come in contact with these toe-cicles.” He flicked off the light switch, leaving the purple lamp glowing. In case something happened, it would be best to keep the room visible for them and the soothing light would be good for the spirit. He slipped under the sheet, swallowing hard as he felt the warmth that bled from Sawamura's side. Their elbows bumped together in the darkness. 

“Well, you'll probably be shucking them in no time. I've been told I'm basically a space heater.” He could imagine how warm Sawamura's skin must be beneath the blanket, needed to immediately stop imaging that. He smiled genuinely at him though, and Sawamura looked away from him quickly, sheepishly.

“Sounds nice,” he said, turning away, hoping that having his back to him would quell all the thoughts racing through his veins. His legs were too long for the little mattress and he pulled his icy feet under the covers, their legs brushing against each other. Even through his socks and especially where his pants had pulled up over his ankles, the heat from Sawamura's skin was...enough to make his fists clench tightly around the blanket. Sleep. He needed to just sleep. And he thanked his lucky stars that Soba was being such a soothing presence, because it took him much more quickly than the situation should allow.

***

As the alarm blared from Kuroo's phone, they both jerked awake, groggy apologies pouring out of them as limbs untangled from each other. It was nice, funny and light, the feeling in his chest as Kuroo laughed and tried like hell to banish the red from his face. As he slung his long limbs out of bed and they had to search the blankets for his one missing sock. The sound of him moving about the house, wood floors creaking, sink running, even a soft hum of some unrecognizable tune. It was peaceful. 

It was far earlier than he usually woke up, and after handing off a towel to Kuroo, he scuttled off to the kitchen and got coffee and breakfast going. Listening to Kuroo hum in the shower, well, it was ridiculous how charming it was. When the water shut off, the sound of hair dryer replaced it and Daichi shook his head, a smile pulled across his mouth that he couldn't seem to banish. 

“What do you take in your coffee?” he yelled once the dryer was quiet, a bang issued from the bathroom, followed by a soft curse. 

“Uh, cream if you have it? Thanks!” He could just imagine the wiry man, all long limbs and elbows and knees, trying to tetris himself into clothes in the small bathroom. When he finally emerged, he looked good, too good considering the scant amount of hours they had slept. “Did...did you cook?” 

“Yeah! The library doesn't open until 9, so I've got the time. Here.” He passed him the travel mug with coffee and cream and Kuroo looked at him bewildered. 

“I...I'm afraid I don't have time to...”

“I figured as much. Which is why I made eggy in a basket! Perfect for travel. And you can take the coffee too, but bring the cup back next time.” He handed him a paper plate with foil over it, the two pieces of toast with the egg cooked in the middle inside. Kuroo stared at him and then the plate, his face shifting subtly redder and redder. 

“My...my nan always used to make that. She always called them one-eyed Jacks. You...you didn't have to...”

“You better get your things packed up.” He took the coffee and plate back and set them on the table, ushering Kuroo toward the suitcase and he began packing like a whirlwind. A flush of pride was glowing in Daichi's chest. He'd managed to impress this guy! Despite everything that was going on, he hadn't lost his touch, and it made him bloom with confidence. 

“I won't be able to come back for a couple days. I'll call you once I get in the office and let you know for sure. Your activity should die down some now, but both you and the spirit will benefit from further counseling. I'd like to come back at least once more to make sure things are healing nicely for it. Would that...be all right?” He set the case on the bed and shrugged on his blazer, peeking at Daichi from under his fringe of wild bangs.

“Well, you're not charging me for it and it will help my spirit, so I'd be a fool to say no. Besides, how else will I get my cup back?” Daichi passed him a wide grin, handing over the mug and plate once again and he took them, looking everywhere but at Daichi's face. Kuroo coughed a bit awkwardly, obviously to fill the silence.

“Once that pesky spirit calms down, you'll be a hell of a bed and breakfast, Mr. Sawamura.” And then, Kuroo smirked right back and winked, and Daichi felt a pain in his chest like he'd been hit with a damn arrow. 

“Haha, well, Agent Kuroo, we look forward to your next visit at Sawamura and Spirit B&B!” Oh gods, so stupid. He grimaced from his own words as they tumbled out of his mouth, but Kuroo's smile never faltered. He opened the door for him, the agent's hands full with briefcase and breakfast and they stumbled over goodbyes. Daichi had just lifted his own cup to his lips, eyes pulled toward the little bed they had shared last night, when a knock came at the door and he rushed over to it. When he opened the door, Agent Kuroo stood there red-faced and biting his lower lip. 

A weight landed on Daichi's shoulder as the little cat launched from the nearest bookshelf. She gave him a discerning look from up close and personal, before leaping to the ground and scurrying toward the vehicle parked out front.

“S-sorry. I forgot my, uh, partner... Have a good day, Mr. Sawamura. You still have my card on the table, call if you have any trouble.” He turned and jogged back to the small van and Daichi shut the door, watching it roll away through the little window at the top. It was quiet again, but not that hopeless, forlorn quiet it had been all week. He glanced up at the ceiling, now that he knew the spirit resided in the attic, and smiled softly.

“We'll get through this, little buddy. Don't you worry. Now I just have to...clean up this terrible mess you made.” He sighed and prepared a mental list of everything he needed to do, absentmindedly picking up the little business card and pinning it to his calendar board. And he started to softly hum.

***

By the time Friday rolled around, the first night he was actually available, Kuroo felt a bit torn. You see, protocol would dictate that he call Mr. Sawamura and check in, and if everything was going well, a second session was not likely needed. Broken strand removal was usually a tenuous process if the spirit was not well grounded, but this spirit was fully entrenched. It was highly possible it was healing just fine on its own. He just...well, he had to return Sawamura's coffee cup. The cup he'd washed twice and continued to inspect for any spot or smudge. It was orange, with small black birds on it and it was just...so endearing. 

He didn't want to call and have Sawamura tell him all was well and he was no longer needed. And since it wasn't on paid company time anyway...

A text came to his phone at 4:30, just as he was packing up to get ready to leave asking if he would still be coming for the session tonight. That he could be there any time after 8. It's not a date, he told himself, just business, as he responded in the affirmative. He took his own car and as he pulled up to the house, he saw the lights on inside. Sawamura moved past the picture window, a book in hand, and he watched him slide it into place on the shelf. He then pulled his phone from his pocket and checked it. It was 8 p.m. after all, and he was expecting Kuroo at any moment. Kuroo looked down at the travel mug in his center console. He didn't pick it up as he left the car. 

Their greeting was usual, friendly but professional. He asked Kuroo to call him Daichi and in turn, he gave him permission to call him Tetsurou. The house was warm and smelled like chocolate and Daichi offered him brownies fresh from the oven, which he very reluctantly had to decline.

“Perhaps later. There...aren't any substances in those brownies that a government employee should be concerned about, are there?” He eyed Sawamura playfully and the guy gave him that bright grin with twinkling eyes that said too much.

“Well, you know, we librarians are secretly a bunch of wild deviants, so I guarantee nothing.” They both laughed. He was so easy to be around. His house had been so neatly put back together, even though it had only been four days since the incident. He'd somewhat awkwardly dropped that Kuroo wouldn't have to share his sleeping arrangements this time, unless he riled up the spirit again and broke the new bed. A number of completely inappropriate responses cycled through Kuroo's mind, not a single one innocent enough to risk, so he settled for clearing his throat instead and jumped right into business, settling on the edge of the pullout bed. 

“How's it been? Any more problems?” Daichi sat in the little wooden chair opposite him, breathing out a heavy sigh before he replied. 

“It's been better, no problems. Just...it's really distant? That seems like a stupid thing to complain about after all the occurrences, but sometimes I wonder if it's still even here.” His brow was wrinkled in distress and he leaned forward, elbows on his knees. Kuroo was continually amazed by his relationship with the spirit. He shifted to his second sight, all the strands laced throughout the house and Sawamura, some beginning to spark with activity as the spirit awoke. He smiled as his focus readjusted to Daichi, who was watching him carefully.

“It's definitely still here. Sometimes spirits need a little time, just like we do. It's moved forward from the lashing out stage, which is the best indicator that it's healing, but I'm not surprised that it's been reclusive. How have you been doing?” His last question made Daichi look up, his soft brown eyes holding surprise. 

“Oh, uh, better. No, yeah, I'm, you know, I'm a grown up. Pets die. I'm getting past it.” Daichi chewed on his thumb nail absentmindedly and Kuroo frowned at him. 

“It's not immature or childish to be hurt by this, Daichi. It's normal. It's normal to forever be a little sad about it. Humans may not have strands that can be seen like spirits do, but we still connect to everything. And when those connections are broken, they wound us in a very real way. At first, everything we touch and see presses against that wound and aches terribly because it reminds us of what we've lost. But new connections will form and old ones will heal _with time_.” He watched Daichi's eyes grow watery again and he looked away. “It's okay to not be over it. Your spirit isn't over it either. It could even be that, in trying to force yourself past it, that's what made the spirit pull back. It's good for you to heal together.” Daichi pulled one hand over his face and the other clenched into a fist on his knee. 

“Wha-what do I do then? I thought outbursts of emotion were bad for them? I thought I was helping it by not...” his voice was wavering and guilt gripped Kuroo. It was his fault for not being clearer, for being so flustered that he gave poor directions. His hand found Daichi's wrist and his thumb ran along the tightly clenched knuckles.

“I'm sorry, I didn't do a good enough job of explaining. You've been doing the best you can. You're pretty close to your spirit, do you talk to it?”

“Yeah, of course...”

“And your dog, Tako, right? You talked to her too? Called her name? You didn't ever name your spirit, did you?” Daichi wiped at his eyes and brought his red-rimmed gaze back up to Kuroo's.

“Yeah, I talked to Tako all the time, and now there's just quiet, quiet all the time, and I can't think of anything to say to the spirit anymore. And no, I never named it, I just call it spirit.” His voice was tight with frustration and he pulled his hand back away from Kuroo's touch and it stung like a slap. This was why getting at all attached to clients was a bad idea. 

“Let's change that. Your spirit will be much easier to talk to if it has a name. For the sake of association, and for tapping into a bond both of you already have, I'd like you to consider naming it after your dog. Spirits like being associated with something meaningful to people.” Daichi scowled at him, which he expected, but he held the other man's gaze. It was a good strategy, one they'd taught back in training. 

“I can't-”

“Just please think about it. I wouldn't ask you to consider it if it didn't work.” He gave Daichi his best compassionate figure of authority look. He could see the guy grinding his teeth. Soba jumped up on the bed next to him, leaning into Kuroo to comfort him. He ran a hand over her silky fur and then stood, taking her over to the pulldown scuttle that he opened for the little cat. She dashed up. He heard Daichi behind him open the bathroom door and shut it without saying anything. The shower turned on.

He should just go and get the mug. This was going poorly. Whatever shot he was dreaming he may have had with the tragic young librarian seemed to be thinning. He wandered back out to the living room and into the kitchen to stare miserably down at the pan of brownies. Peeking behind him to check that he was alone, he snuck a small crumble from the corner and popped it into his mouth. 

Fuck. Of course it tasted like heaven. He snagged another small crumb before his vision shifted to Soba's, the spirit glowing and twisting around in the attic. Well that was a good sign. Still, as she came close, it swiped at her and she hissed.

“Hah, good to see you're getting your sass back, feisty thing,” he mumbled to it. He polished off the pilfered morsel and went back to set up a few things. Hopefully the rest of the evening would go more smoothly. The spirit seemed to be okay. Now he just needed to work on Sawamura.

***

As Daichi stepped under the jet of steaming water, he let the lingering tears roll down his face. It felt like cruelty. He'd been doing so well suffocating all of his sadness, focusing solely on the good things, first and foremost having the handsome agent back in his house. He felt embarrassed that he had so easily been reduced to tears again. Why did this guy make him feel so raw? 

It wasn't like he actually cared. It was his job to do this. This new suggestion, it felt so irreverent, like he was both trying to forget Tako and degrade the spirit into nothing more than a pet. It had never been like that. Wouldn't the spirit be confused if he started calling it by his dog's name?

“I wish you could just tell me what you want, what would make you happy. Would you...would even want that? For me to start calling you Tako? It means octopus, you know.” He felt something. A shift in the air around him, a brush against the back of his mind like whimsy. It was a feeling he hadn't felt in so long. He rinsed the soap from his hair, but as he did the water became suddenly ice cold.

“Hey!” he yelled and shut it off quickly. 

“You okay?” he heard Kuroo yell from the other room and ran a towel over his hair and shoulders, shivering from the blast of cold water. 

“Yeah, I'm fine, it just...sometimes it makes the water cold, pesky thing.” He dried off quickly, annoyed at the soap still clinging to his legs. “Thanks a lot, Tako,” he whispered under his breath, and there was a playful gust around him, one he hadn't felt since before the dog Tako had passed away. He smiled and shook his head. At least it was in a better mood if it was being playful and naughty again. 

He secured the towel around his waist and stepped out of the bathroom, seeing Kuroo standing in the living room, eyes trained on the ceiling. Not that he'd wanted him to catch him like this, certainly not. He hustled to his bedroom door and went to push it open, but the damned thing wouldn't budge and he nearly head-butted it. He jiggled the handle roughly, but it was stuck tight. Heat began to bloom in his cheeks as Kuroo poked his head around the corner. 

“You...uh...oh, I'm uh, picking up a lot of activity, is everything all right.” Kuroo had turned his back to him, hand raised to the back of his neck somewhat bashfully. 

“Well, for as quiet as it's been the last few days, it's sure making up for it now. It's jammed my door. Usually it can be forced. Uh, I know this is awkward, but is there any chance you could come help me? I tossed my other clothes down the laundry chute, which means my best chance of making this less awkward is to get through this door...” His face was burning, but Agent Kuroo was already shouldering into the door. Kuroo ran his fingers lightly over the top crease in the door and nodded.

“A pressure build up. I've never seen that before. You've sure got a happy spirit to have this much control over their surroundings and not make it violent. That's a good sign. You might want to stand back.” His tone was authoritative and Daichi didn't like the insinuation that he was helpless. He knew this spirit better than anyone, including all its quirks and how to handle them. Even as Agent Kuroo tried to shoulder him out of the way he held his ground, hand firmly on the door handle.

“I've seen this plenty of times, it just does it now and-”

“Mr. Sawamura, please stand ba-”

“It's fine you just have to-”

“Sir, this could be dangerous you-”

“It's fine! I can-” Daichi's words were cutoff in their brief scuffle as the door jerked open, yanking Daichi with it. He grabbed Kuroo with his free hand, both of them tumbling into the suction of the room. The lights flickered like laughter and Daichi hissed from where his knees and elbow had impacted the wood floor. Something had broken his fall, but as he lifted up, he realized that what it was was the agent. Kuroo's eyes were large in surprise and his hands were held palms up to the sides, likely in an effort to not touch Daichi. He watched Kuroo's eyes flicker down and then jolt back up, his face glowing a blotchy red. 

Of course. Of course he was entangled, completely in the nude, his towel across the room, with the handsome agent. If he didn't know better, he'd swear that the spirit meant for this to happen. It couldn't have been more purposefully orchestrated. 

“Fuck,” he said, but a smile had crept on to his face, and he started to laugh.

“Mr. Sawamura, are you all right?” Kuroo asked him, but he was trying to suppress a smile as well. 

“Yes, yes. Uh, could you just, close your eyes please? I'm so sorry...” Laughter was finally bubbling up through Kuroo as well as he squeezed his eyes shut and Daich lifted up off of him. He grabbed his bathrobe, throwing it around his shoulders and tying it off. “Okay okay, I'm decent enough. Jeez, it sure does have a sense of humor. Thanks a lot, Tako.” 

The air around them shifted as Kuroo sat up and the lights flickered playfully again. The house creaked a bit and Daichi smiled. It sure felt a lot more like home with these shenanigans. 

“I think it likes it, Daichi. It seems really happy.” Kuroo stood, brushing off his knees and chest and glancing over the small bedroom. It was in absolute tatters the last time he was here. He chewed his lower lip as his gaze settled back on Daichi and his fluffy orange robe. “At the risk of a complaint and possibly my job, can I...make a small confession?”

“Y-yeah.” Daichi perked up, arms crossing in front of him. 

“This is going to sound really stupid but...your travel mug is still in my car. I didn't forget it, but I hadn't decided if I would tell you that or not. I think I was hoping for a reason to come back here again. But I feel pretty disingenuous about it now. Your spirit is doing really well, and you don't really need me here. I just...” His lips fell shut and pressed together, his eyes dropping to the floor. “You know, I should probably go. I'll bring the cup back in. You should probably finish getting dressed.” He turned on his heel and left the room closing the door behind him. 

Was that...had he just...? He'd started so confidently but lost his bluster halfway through. Daichi threw on pajamas as quickly as possible, the sound of Kuroo ruffling through the house reaching him. As he opened the bedroom door, it was just in time to see Kuroo's long legs ascend the rickety drop steps into the attic.

“Uh, your spirit seems to have commandeered my keys, but Soba showed me that they're up here. Sorry, I'll just be a moment.” He sounded nervous and a bit dejected. The idea of him leaving was pressing disappointment down on Daichi as well. He wandered toward the living room and the little black cat zoomed past him, jumping up on the pullout bed and turning to regard him with those striking golden eyes. He shrugged at her and sat down next to her. 

She rubbed her chin along his arm and without thinking he brought a hand down to run over her sleek little body. He felt a shiver, a tingle of something otherworldly and there was a big thump from above them. The cat just purred and flopped against his thigh. He ran his fingers through her fur, and she felt different from a normal cat, too smooth and too warm, but she seemed so happy. He scratched gently at her belly, which she rolled to expose to him. 

Frantic footsteps crashed above them, followed by Kuroo nearly falling down the stairs and both Daichi and Soba looked up to him as he stood in the doorway, terribly flustered and in disarray.

“What are you doing?!”

***

Kuroo had huffed his way up the stairs, trying like hell to banish the image and feeling of being tangled with Sawamura. Good gods, it was completely unfair for one man to be that attractive. Not only did he have a gorgeous face, but now Kuroo knew beyond any doubt that everything south of there was perfect too. 

How had he so idiotically almost confessed? He'd known the guy one day! What kind of crazy person gets a crush in one day? He would have fled the house with all haste if this deviant spirit hadn't filched his keys. He switched to his second sight and saw the vague outline of it toward the back of the attic and carefully picked his way over to it. He swiped his keys from underneath the phantom as he leveled it with a grim stare. 

“You are not helping! Tako!” He whispered to it, but the thing only bobbed lightly. “You have no idea how cute your human is. I'm extremely jealous.” He placed a hand on his forehead. He needed to just go, get out before he made things any worse. 

He could feel the little spirit next to him, it's energy bright, despite the fact that it must still be in the healing process. The edge of his mouth pulled up as he considered it. If nothing else, at least he had helped this phantom and Sawamura. Maybe he could call him? No, that wouldn't be professional. Perhaps he could drop a hint that Sawamura should call him? If he didn't bite, then so be it. Hopefully he could still escape with a shred of his dignity. 

“I wish I could just ask him out,” he whispered conspiratorially to the spirit, and a little gust of wind blew his hair back and dust into his face. At the same time, just as a laugh began to rise out of him, something entirely different happened. A wonderful sensation overtook him, like someone running a hand through his hair, but it resonated through his whole body and he fell forward a little, banging his elbow against the floor. He blinked into the darkness of the attic, peering with his second sight but the spirit was gone.

“Wha-what was that?” At the edge of his mind, there was a feeling contentment and then that wonderful feeling washed over him again. Like a bolt of lightning striking, he realized what was happening.

The magical community knew not to touch other people's familiars. The creatures were also pretty good at avoiding being touched. He'd thought it was strange a few days back when Soba had jumped on Sawamura, but with a strangling clarity, he realized that Sawamura had to be _petting_ her right now. His stomach did flips as he felt the afterimage of what she was experiencing. She'd never done this before, never allowed anyone to touch her other than him. That absolute slut cat!

He bolted toward the attic scuttle, barely containing a groan as the feeling washed over him in a wave, and he stumbled down the stairs. Sure enough, as he came around the corner, he saw her lying pressed up next Sawamura. _And his fingers were buried in her belly fur._

“What are you doing?” He asked, breathless and flustered, far worse than he had been in Daichi's bedroom. It was almost being touched himself, except he had no control over it. As the other man's fingers left the cat, Kuroo breathed a sigh of relief, leaning heavily against the wall. 

“S-sorry? I was just...your cat seemed like she wanted to be pet so I...” He looked confused and flustered himself, whereas Soba lolled over the edge until she seemed to drip onto the floor and then pattered over to him. Kuroo gave her a stern look.

“I wasn't actually talking to you, Mr. Sawamura. I'm sure you had no idea that touching someone's familiar had additional effects on their human.” He placed his hands on his hips as he glowered down at the black cat, but she just licked her shoulder as if she were nothing but an ordinary cat. 

“O-oh! Oh gosh, I'm so sorry. Man, I'm really making life hard on you today.” He got up and crossed the room to stand before Kuroo, just behind his traitorous familiar. He placed a hand over his mouth and his face flushed a bit. He reached out and brushed at Kuroo's bangs, making him swallow hard, but he pulled away something dusty looking. “Ah, cobwebs. Hey, listen, Tetsurou, I uh, I was just wondering, once you leave tonight, I won't be your case anymore, right?” Kuroo blinked at him. Soba rubbed against Daichi's leg once before returning to Kuroo's feet to wrap around them. 

“Uh, yeah. I can't really say that you need me anymore. You both are doing very well and I'm really glad it worked out. I should go get your cup.” 

“Well maybe you could...I don't know, hold on to it? And return it...another night?” Daichi looked up at him through those lashes again, his bottom lip pinched between perfect teeth, and Kuroo's eyebrows shot up in surprise. He was...he was asking him to come back. In an unofficial context. He was pretty sure his mouth was hanging open, but he couldn't seem to track down any words to funnel out of it. 

A loud bang issued behind him, jarring him forward as the attic access clanged shut. The cat wrapped around his feet made him stumble right into Sawamura's open arms, his sturdy chest like hitting a warm and soft wall to brace against. He was the perfect amount shorter than Kuroo as he gazed down at him, a small chuckle escaping him. They were so close now, nearly nose to nose, and Daichi was watching his grin in a way that made his heart beat erratically.

“Are you asking me out, Mr. Sawamura?” he asked, teasingly and Daichi's gaze tipped back up to his eyes, a wide smile spreading across his face as well. 

“I think I'm asking you in, Agent Kuroo.” And he grabbed Kuroo's tie and yanked, pressing a firm kiss to his mouth, warm and lovely, just like everything else about Sawamura Daichi. It was definitely against regulations. Nekomata could kick rocks about it. 

“I guess I can't argue with all three of you. You uh, got plans tomorrow?”

“Nope, just a whole pan of brownies that won't eat themselves.” Again, Kuroo found himself biting back lewd replies, but Daichi flushed so his eyes must have given away more than he intended. “I should let you get your things.” _Before we get carried away._ He could almost hear the rest of the thought and he nodded, gathering up the items he'd unpacked. The silence between them was a bit awkward, but the house was filled with creaks of their footfalls and the rumble of their low chuckles.

When he finally stood on the other side of the door, a brownie packed in foil in one hand and his briefcase in the other, he looked at Sawamura, a rare and beautiful person who held more warmth than all the magic the second sight could show him. There was excitement glittering in his eyes, and Kuroo felt it in his chest as well. 

“Well, it's been a pleasure working with you, Mr. Sawamura. Normally I offer to let my clients call me should they need anything, but for personal reasons, I'm afraid I must insist our business draw to a close.” He was grinning so wide at the faux formality, and his cheeks were aching from all the smiles.

“Yes, I think that would be best. Thank you for all your help, Agent Kuroo.” He extended his hand and Kuroo took it, giving it a firm shake. But just as quick he brought Daichi's hand to his lips and brushed a kiss over his knuckles, leaving him with that lovely flush once again.

“I'll be sure to get that mug back to you.” 

“Please do, it's my favorite one.” 

When Kuroo finally sold his car a year later, the mug ended up on his desk at work. Every day he filled it with warmth and brought it to his lips, and everyday, he did the same for Daichi. And in that little house, laced with love, with floors that creaked, and lights that flickered, and water that got too cold, the four of them strung it together with strands and connections and the sounds of life with all its eccentricities. The sounds that made up a home.


End file.
